


Where the Heart Lies

by JoyGaroz



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/F, F/M, Liley, Multi, Other, Rilaya, girl meets goodbye, gmw, gmw fanfic, post girl meets goodbye, rucas, rucaya
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-08 22:56:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8866705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoyGaroz/pseuds/JoyGaroz
Summary: Post 3x21. No one notices what really matters. It's not relationships, it's the strenght in them.Time and Distance have no meaning if the feeling is strong enough. Riley Matthews has met the world, but overall, she has kept on being Riley- has she?





	1. Preface

It had happened few days after they entered high school. Both Riley and Maya had found their identities in the end, feeling confident in what their strengths were individually and which were when they were together. 

They had noticed the great influence they held to the people surrounding them, or more specifically, with the youngers. 

Both of them came across their former school, meeting with a great bunch of students openly glad to bump into the duo. After recovering from the surprise of the warm welcome, the best friends noticed it: people standing by their beliefs, people expressing without regrets no matter the consequences, people respecting each other’s differences, people who protected their friends.

Their old school that had turned into their second home was now the living image of their old days. There were new rebel Maya’s and new good-natured Riley’s everywhere they looked. 

Instead of feeling disgusted or displeased at the sight of such display, they were moved. The fact that they had left a remarkable legacy to the point of changing the way school was, it was touching.

They knew then that Maya would be the rebel with a heart of gold that would protect her friends with strength, and Riley would be the jumping sunshine who would warm those around her and that speaks her voice to inspire.

Little would they know that their way of being loved, could mean the reason to be disliked too.

Or feared, and brought to a breaking point.

“I wish I could keep up with you Riley, but sometimes you’re too much”.

Out of nowhere, a relationship ended, but a bond became stronger even through the mess around them.

No one around them came to notice they were becoming closer and closer, time and distance making it look like it was impossible for a bond to last after all what was happening, after all that was being said about them, rumors being as truthful as facts because of the lack of evidence. 

They prevailed, because they were best friends. 

“Are you okay Riles? Have you heard about him?”

“Not since he said goodbye Peaches…”

He left, because he couldn’t catch up, because he needed to be able to catch up. And because he needed to be able to protect them as well as they did.

He wasn’t weak, he was not lacking feelings or strength, and he was lacking their bravery. Their spirit to fight and stand up on for himself, he wanted that too. He wanted to be able to understand them –her, so he could protect them properly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been in this fandom so shortly... but even I am annoyed at the concept some people have about this show.
> 
> OF COURSE it's okay to ship what you ship, for the reasons you like to believe in. what i'm not okay with is the bashing and attacking both characters and actors!!! I AM SO NOT OKAY WITH BASHING ONE OF THEM BC YOU LIKE THE OTHER BETTER.
> 
> And basically, after a long day going back and forth from these talented and gorgeous ig accounts, this came to me. Because both Brina and Row are beautiful, kind and inspiring. IN DIFFERENT WAYS, and its stupid to think one is better than the other, there should not be one being better than the other. They are great in different ways for different people (fans).
> 
> Then there is the thing with Peyton. or Lucas. He is himself, he is as part of the gang as Corey/Farkle. just because Lucas entered that fucking triangle arc doesnt mean he should only be judged by the girl he likes, he should be judged as an individual, as a part of the gang, at what he contributes in their friendship. ITS A SHOW ABOUT FRIENDSHIP and a girl meeting the world, everything involving new things and experiences.
> 
> if you've read this until the end, thank you, you're a peach. bc i think i ranted rather hard on this one and its probably a mess to understand.
> 
> UPDATE(21/01/2017): Decided to make this a long fic and hope i'll get to finish it. Warning this will turn into a Rucas centric, side Rilaya/Rucaya. Just stay tunned and let me know what you think (:


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been six years since Riley and Lucas parted ways from each other, and now Maya has also said farewell to her beloved best friend. What happens when best friend and ex-boyfriend meet?

She lowered her cellphone after she ended her call, her mind already wandering of memories from six years ago…

She couldn’t help but think that her brunette best friend sounded better compared to their first nights, she often remembered of how she snuggled into her bed as she cried in her arms to sleep. 

Of course only she, her best friend, knew how affected she was about their break up.

Only she, Maya Hunter, knew time and distance had healed her enough for her to move on, enough for them to meet the world they so really wanted to know. 

For a long time, it was just the two of them. And it was okay, they needn’t anyone else; or so she thought.  


Maya Penelope Hunter learned that that was not it. She knew the moment her best friend had been asked out by some guy back at her college and her best friend was frozen in the spot. The blonde could tell by her reaction that she had thought of the Texan, she was certain there was no one else out there that could have made her react like that; all because the scene was a complete dejá-vu to the Charlie incident some years ago. 

Despite that, she had forced herself to move on. Riley had forced a smile on her face and took a step forward. 

And now here she was, thinking of how much her little Honey friend had evolved to become a strong representative of feminism in front of the L.A crowd, side to side with her actual boyfriend. Mister-what-his-name-who-cares had stolen her away and took her best friend to the other coast. 

Maya groaned as she couldn’t help the big roll of her eyes in annoyance. Now she was stuck in New York by herself, still trying to figure out what to do for her finals in Art Class.

The blonde decided to go by her friend’s suggestion, looking at a bookstore if there were any illustrations or magazines she could look. Seriously, her Honey was the only reason she kept on being sane. 

After a few flips and ditches, she decided to grab a few posters and some magazines, she quickly turned to leave after she had paid and when she did, she bumped into someone.

“Huckleberry?” she asked after a few seconds of contemplating the large male in front of her. She was taken aback at the sight.

“…Maya” he replied, assuring her that her assumption was right. 

“…You’re in New York” she made the observation as his reply sinked in, after so many years, the boy that once was so important for both her and Riley was back. 

“I am now…”

She nodded in deep thought for a second, on the other hand, the Texan fidgeted in his place, his train of thoughts somehow paralleling the blonde’s.

“She’s not here though”.

“Figures” this time, he was the one who nodded, more than aware that if there was someone who would be close to the brunette, it would be the girl in front of him at the moment; he could only deduce that the reason of Maya being in here by herself was because there was no Riley to start with.

After a moment of silence, Maya offered:

“Wanna take a cup of coffee?”

“…Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next part is already on the oven, comment if you're looking forward to finding out what Maya has to say to Huckleberry Ha-hurr hurr Lucas Friar!


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ex-boyfriend and best friend share a little chat about a person in particular. What decisions could come from this little reunion?

As they took their seats at the cafe, Maya turned to drop her bags and lean them on the table. 

“So you’re into books now?” Lucas observed, to which the blonde could only scoff.

“I could hardly call them books Ranger Rick, they’re more like photo albums or even scrap books. No letters whatsoever to read.” She argued proudly as she smiled knowingly. 

“Okay then” he chuckled.

“What about you? Where there not enough books to read back in Texas?” she punched his arm playfully, but receiving only a weak smile from the green eyed boy.

“They were but…”

“…But?”

He chuckled faintly. “You know, she wasn’t there”.

She smiled with nostalgia in her eyes. Suddenly she was brought back to the years where both of her friends were glued to each other, just as much as she and Riley were. She could perfectly understand why he looked so dejected even though he was every piece of freak face as he was back in school. 

She too, was missing her precious friend a whole lot. But, unlike the now man in front of her, she had continued to reach out to her… why hadn’t he?

“If you missed her that much, why didn’t you talk to us?” a frown formed on her face as her thoughts were being told. 

He could only shake his head in denial. “I knew she wasn’t ready”.

His response took her aback, what could he possibly mean by her friend not being ready? …Ready for what?

He elaborated at the sight of the dumb founded blonde “She’s Riley Matthews, my first ever girlfriend, she showed me so much but because she liked to discover the world on her own -”

“-and with her best friend” Maya corrected.

“-yeah, she liked to do that; and we were still young, we had so much to figure out… she had so much to meet”.

She had to meet the world, was what Maya corrected in her head as she nodded in agreement. 

“You really love her, don’t you?” the girl smiled and her voice was barely a whisper, meant only for her ears to hear, but even so, the Texan in front of her shifted in his place. “But even so, you’ve talked to Farkle” she pointed out.

Lucas looked at her with surprise and curiosity on his face.

She merely shrugged in response “He can’t pull that Belgium 1831 on me anymore. He can’t fool me twice with the same old no matter how smart he is”. 

Both recalled the time their little weird friend went from triggered to passive as they were continuously shown that lesson through the years. All that time holding back just to make sure no one got hurt. 

He thought he was doing the same here too, that, of Maya was sure.

“…Seems like you’ve changed” Lucas noted.

She cringed her nose in disagreement “Not so much, really” she admitted. “And I don’t think she has either”. 

“How are you so sure? It’s been years now” the blonde could hear the resignation in his voice, to which she huffed.

“For one, I’m her best friend. And second, you just have to look at her to know she doesn’t glow as she used to.” As she told him this, she gave him a knowing look, hinting him to   
where her train of thoughts was going. 

“Maya…” he pleaded. He needn’t a reason to get his hopes up, she had moved on, just as Maya herself had said. She was not in New York; even the Big Apple was a small place for someone like Riley. What could possibly a Texan cowboy/veterinarian like him could offer to someone like her?

“Huckleberry…” she teased with a grin on her face, a grin so wicked that almost sent chills to the Texan boy “…would you like to help me get back my friend?” 

Wide pair of green eyes stared at the grinning blonde in front of him, too afraid to ask what she had in mind. Even more than that, he was afraid of how willing he was to take the   
risk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm unstoppable when i have something i'm motivated about! And this fic idea is one of those!! I had to post this chapter ASAP! I love friend lucaya. I honestly find it so refreshing. 
> 
> Coming next! Riley maybe? THAT'S SOMETHING I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT SOON!! Please please please comment your thoughts.


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Farkle has organized a welcome party! Is is for Riley only though? Seems like the brunette's friends have something going on and she's about to find out!

“What’s all this?” Riley exclaimed as she came into view of Farkle’s home decoration. 

“It’s a welcome party!” was what her unusual yet rich friend responded. Goofy smile plastered on his face as he welcomed both Riley and her boyfriend into his department.

“We just left for a few days though…”the brunette said still with suspicion. 

“Yeah well, don’t you love parties?” he replies as he hurried them in, not wishing for them to leave before they got to meet everyone else. “Besides, you have lots to tell us about your successful speech”.

At this, the brunette shyly smiled. “Oh, yeah… that”. She felt an arm circling her shoulders; lifting her gaze she met the smile of her companion.

“She did very well up there, I am very proud of you Riley” at the sight of her shy smile, Farkle felt the urge to roll his eyes. 

“HONEY!” a loud scream was heard by the trio, wildly turning their heads to meet a sprinting Maya approaching them.

“PEACHES!” quickly the brunette freed from her companion’s embrace to catch up with her blonde beloved soul sister.

Both girls clamped in a tight embrace, completely oblivious of the stares concentrating in their direction. It had only been a couple of days but for these pair of true friends it felt like centuries.

Which lead to them clinging to each other for the rest of the evening, forgetting completely that they had an assigned companion for the event. That was, until the brunette caught sight of someone she was not expecting.

Back in the corner of the living room, filling his cup with drink was none other than Lucas Friar, trying and failing to keep his eyes off their direction. 

When his emerald eyes met hers, she widened her gaze as her lips parted slightly in awe, her heart clenching and the tight embrace she held with her best friend softened until Maya noticed her change in demeanor.

“Riles? Is something wrong?” At the sound of her concerned best friend, Riley gulped and looked down at her.

“How could you?” she barely whispered before letting go of her and take her coat as she made her way out of the room, leaving behind a preoccupied Hunter.

“Riley, wait!” she made her attempt to reach out to her, but got held behind by her best friend’s boyfriend.

“Can I ask you something first, Maya?” he asked with a serious face, to which Maya could only frown in curiosity. Why has he holding her back instead of letting her go to clear things out with her best friend? Or why was he not being the one to go after her? In his stead, she saw Farkle pass by them, giving the blonde a look that told her she was going to check up on Riley. Maya only nodded.

And still stuck where he was standing a few moments before, Lucas watched the whole thing happening. Which move was he going to take next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope a new chapter soon! Working already on it! Thank you for your kudos, keep them coming it makes me more creative! Also, let me know if you've got any idea what Riley's boyfriend looks like!


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Farkle has gone after Riley to explain why Lucas attended the party, but it seems as words have no effect on her anymore.

“Riley!” she heard her friend call, only making her temper to increase, and along with it, the speed of her steps. “Riley! I mean it, wait!” it was well-known by his friends that Farkle was no athlete. Neither a good runner, which made him wonder why did he even bother to chase after her if he was certain he was the worst for the task.

“And I mean it, Farkle! I am not talking to you!” she barked as she kept her pace.

“You just did!” he talked back and he noticed her sudden stop just so she could turn around to glare at his friend.

“Stop being a smartass for once, would ya?”

“Are you going to stop being a drama queen then?”

“I am so not a drama queen!” she exclaimed, loudly.

“Fneh!” he gave up, lifting his arms in surrender. “Just hear me out, then”.

Riley kept on glaring at him, but kept quiet and crossed her arms as she waited expectantly.

“This was a welcome party-”

“Lies!”

“-For Lucas” he finished despite her loud remark. “It’s been a long time since we all gathered together; I thought it was a good idea to hang out again”.

“It was not! and you’ve all kept it a secret from me, even Maya. This is so not a gathering party, this is a set-up party!!”

“Did you really think this was so you could face what’s going on in your life and fix it?”

“So you say it!”

“So you don’t deny it”

Riley gaped before clearing her throat “Stop! This has nothing to do with me and my life. Stop looking into it like it’s a complete mess, it is not!” She began to vent, arms flying everywhere to express herself clearer “I am fine, my life is fine and so are the people I date with, so you need to stop trying to make things work out again with him because they’re not”. She paused at the memory of Lucas; the boy who came out of nowhere back into her life and that was now few meters away, underneath the same city sky. “You’ve said it: it’s been a long time. It’s been years now and we have changed. We are no longer who we used to know, therefore I am leaving”. The brunette established and she made the attempt to start walking away again, until Farkle spoke.

“Why do people become friends if it’s not going to be forever?” he cited, shocking the girl now standing in front of him, frozen in place. “I don’t want anybody to go anywhere; I don’t want anything to happen to us at all”. She remembered, fifteen year old gang facing time passing by. Riley, being too scared of change, too scared of them drifting away, had said those words back then. “Isn’t that what you believed in, Riley? Isn’t that how you’ve always been? Hopeful?”

There was a long pause in which Riley looked down at her feet and felt her eyes begin to water. 

“Maybe I am too tired of being hopeful”.

Farkle could only look at her sympathetically, somehow he had known, they had begun to loose Riley over time.

He had hoped the gathering have happened sooner before he had to see Riley, the center of their circle, fall apart. He had hoped, her friends had hoped, in her stead for them to be together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a mighty need to share this. So you've got lucky, double shot a day!! Let me know your thoughts please! Have you searched for my tumblr account? its rowbrucas ;)


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to where Lucas and Maya were left off, there's an issue they have to take care of... that thing being Riley's actual boyfriend.

“What do you want to talk about, champ?” Maya finally gave in; aware that right now she needed to get rid of a problem at a time. 

“I was just wondering, since Riley told me about your art exhibition party… that maybe, you could let me propose to her there?”

In the background, Lucas passed his drink in one big gulp and reached to fill it again. He had managed to make a little out of the conversation going on between his friend and Riley’s boyfriend, but calming his nerves was being a whole harder request when he was unaware of what was going on with both his female friends. 

The Texan had tried rushing to reach the brunette a few seconds earlier, only to be stopped by Farkle. Honestly, he had a lot to catch up and Riley had a lot to take in before she could come across facing him. So he agreed, and in his wait for the current events to sink in, he had been drinking and staring at Maya’s conversation with Riley’s date.

He was expecting it to be fine until he saw Maya give Riley’s boyfriend that wicked grin she did when she was beyond pissed and about to flip but still remaining passively aggressive inside. He gulped in the boy’s stead. 

“Oh! You mean my special day party! That one? The one I was looking forward to share with my best friend who I haven’t seen in a while, and the people I like the most? That party? But like, champ! Don’t you think Riley deserves a night on her own? Like, if she ever comes around the idea of… I don’t know; share a special night with you, maybe?”

“Well, I mean yes. But like, how would that be any different from your exhibition party? It could be just as special like your toon display…”

Maya was certain her vision blurred to vibrant red for a moment then. 

She stood up in a swift movement, alerting Lucas of danger, he made his way to her. Because for as much as he was not a big fan of Riley’s boyfriend, he was even less pleased with the idea of Maya making a mess to a party that seemed to be chaotic enough.

“It is not a toon display! It’s my first art exhibition!” she exclaimed, loudly. Noticing her loud volume, she cleared her throat and continued in a more refined tone as she took a seat again.

“But seriously, what makes you think for example…” her clear eyes searched for the Texan in the room, finding him closer than she expected: resting his back with the seat behind the dump head in front of her. She smiled again, her eyes still fixed in the green eyed boy “…that someone is already making a move to sweep on her feet that cute little girlfriend you have…”Maya turned her head to the door, implying Lucas to go. 

It took him by surprise when an arm bumped against him, he whipped his head away from Maya’s direction and came to face to Smackle.

“She’s telling you to go, freakface”. Rather than noticing the nickname she clearly had picked from her husband, he noticed for the first time in the night the presence of his intellectual friend. 

“Oh! Hey Smackle, haven’t seen you in a while”.

“Yeah, yeah; greetings can be done later, go get my husband out of your girl’s grip”

“Wait, what do you mean-”

“Just leave!” she pushed him not so delicately for a Smackle to the door. 

When the blonde noticed Lucas leaving the place, she took it as a chance to finish the guy off.

“Also, I’m telling you beforehand so you are aware. I am not ever giving you my permission to ask for Riley’s hand. So you might as well leave now, dickhead”.

“Why would I need your permission, you’re not her—”

“I’m the only permission that matters! Screw off” she barked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise i will make it up for the lack of Smarckle (and Zay and Josh and others...) one of these days... I'm just so needy for Rucas so we'll get there first. Bear with me please. It'll get better i promise.  
> Next up! Rucas Confrontation!! (boy would that make a good chapter title, sadly i gave up on those) PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU'RE ENJOYING IT OR NAW


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for Lucas and Riley to sort things out, or at least try. What would Riley do once she listens to Lucas' reasons to leave?

“Riley, there’s something I need to tell you…”

The brunette wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and lifted her gaze to meet with Farkle’s. He gulped.

“I’ve been talking to Lucas all this time” he declared “He had meant to come back eventually”.

It was Riley’s turn to gulp and clear her throat. So there it was, more secrets being held back by the scientist. She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, taking a deep breath before talking.

“Why?” her voice was barely a murmur, only loud enough for Farkle to manage hearing it, a tremble in her words as she spoke and looking at him again. “Why did he never replied or called if he intended to return?”

“I… I believe that’s something he should be telling you”.

“You’re the one already talking Farkle. I can’t believe you kept this from me… How am I supposed to” she closed her eyes again, feeling her already reddened eyes begin to swell. 

She wanted nothing more right in that moment than to be back to the good old days. When she was still Riley Matthews, the sunshine whose life warmed everyone around her, and whose voice and mind where as pure and soothing as she felt. 

She wanted to be happy again. To be able to trust people, to have hope and faith in people… It all seemed so impossible right now.

“I just don’t get why would he leave then if he was going to come back?”

“Because of every reason he has had since coming to New York for the first time, it was because of you”.

“Riley” a voice interrupted. Her swollen eyes widened at the voice she knew so well and had loved so tenderly. 

She looked up and gaped at the form of the Texan catching his breath. 

“Lucas…”

The sound of her voice finally calling out to him made the strangest things inside of him, his breathing stopped for a second before he exhaled loudly and realized she must have been waiting for him to clear things up. Her reddened eyes hinted him that, he clenched his jaw before shortening the distance between them with a few large strides.

“It’s true… Riley, I made that choice because of you”. 

“M-Me? Why did you think I wanted you to leave? Th-that I wanted to wake up one morning and find out you had disappeared? Is that what you think that I wanted?”

“Yes.”

“No! How could you even think that I wanted—”

“What were your plans for us, Riley?”

“What?”

“How did you see us in five years from then? What did you think we would be doing right now?”

“What do you mean? We would be together…”

“Did you ever think about living together in a department in Times Square or back in Texas? Did you see us married? With a family?”.

“Well, no. But we were just kids! How was I supposed to think about that when we were still figuring out which college to go, what major to take, what impression we wanted to leave about ourselves in the world...”she stopped herself as realization hit her.

Lucas was still looking at her, his greenery eyes now gleaming with hidden pain.

“I wasn’t seeing us like that… but you were”.

There was a long pause in which Riley could only stare at nothing in particular, just caught in the memories of years back and letting the realization hit her.

“So it really was my fault after all…”

“No it wasn’t” Lucas tried to soothe her, pulling her closer to him until he could hug her. She allowed him, her tears still falling down her blushed cheeks. 

In the background, and uncomfortable Farkle watched the scene, and noted: “Yes, I think it was…”

Lucas hissed almost immediately a “Farkle! Not now” to which the intellectual could only shrug and step a little farther from the troubled couple. The Texan sighed and focused again on the brunette in his arms.

“I knew you would give up those dreams you had if I told you mine, and I decided that I would rather see you achieve those dreams, before letting you know mine”.

“That is so unfair on you; you gave up your happiness because of me. Why would you do something like that?” she mumbled against his chest, her delicate fists wrinkling his shirt.

Lucas sighed and lifted his gaze to the night that had fallen over them. No stars could be seen in this big city, yet the only one he had ever cared to look at was under his embrace.

“Because I love you Riley”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my favorite chapter until now, i hope you had enjoyed it as well. I am so very curious to know what your thoughts are so please, let yourself loose and let me know all about it so far.


End file.
